Hardin Coleman
Dean Emeritus & Professor Emeritus
Dr. Hardin L.K. Coleman retired as a professor of counseling psychology & applied human development at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development in 2025. His university career focused on the preparation of professional school counselors to apply an ecological systems perspective to their work and the role of universities in facilitating equal opportunity for all. He also served as the faculty director for the Center for Character & Social Responsibility.
Dr. Coleman’s research focuses on a) developing culturally relevant interventions for adolescents within schools, b) understanding the strategies adolescents use to cope with cultural diversity and the impact of those choices on self-esteem and academic self-efficacy, and c) how the use of school improvement science can help schools increase equitable access to high quality learning opportunities for all students. As dean of the college (2008–2017), Dr. Coleman focused on how a school and university can use research to refine the practice of education through training educators and partnerships with schools; and the recruitment, promotion, and retention of a faculty that was committed to the production of high-quality scholarship, professional preparation of educators, and service that drives change in their profession and areas of practice.
Dr. Coleman serves on youth serving boards and committees such as the Wabun Foundation, Germantown Friends School, and the Equity in Civics Steering Committee for Generation Citizen. He also served on the Boston Public School Committee for nine years. In addition, he has published in journals such as the Counseling Psychologist and the Professional School Counselor. He has co-edited several handbooks, including The Handbook of School Counseling and The Intersection of Race, Class, and Gender in Multicultural Counseling.
Dr. Coleman began his career as a secondary school educator, and was trained as a school counselor at the University of Vermont and as a counseling psychologist at Stanford University. Prior to joining BU, he held positions as a school counselor and religious educator in secondary schools as well as professor and associate dean of outreach and multicultural initiatives at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Recent News
Education
PhD, Counseling, Stanford University
MEd, Counseling, University of Vermont
BA, Williams College
Research
Current Research Projects
WT Grant Foundation, “A networked community improvement approach to equitable literacy in urban schools.” August 2022 to present. Principal Investigator.
Selected Publications
Coleman, H.L.K., (2020). Character, civic and social emotional learning education. Conference Proceedings: Future of Education (10th Ed.). Florence, Italy: Liberia Universitaria.
Coleman, H.L.K., Gibbons, L., Tichnor-Wagner, A. (2020). Research practice partnerships and school improvement. Conference Proceedings: Future of Education (10th Ed.). Florence, Italy: Liberia Universitaria.
Coleman, H.L.K., Griffith, K.C., Coleman, A.K.G., (2020). Educator Diversity and Student Accomplishment. Conference Proceedings: Future of Education (10th Ed.). Florence, Italy: Liberia Universitaria.
Coleman, H.L.K. (2019) Developmental guidance and student acquisition of social competence. Conference Proceedings: Future of Education (9th Ed.). Florence, Italy: Liberia Universitaria.
Coleman, H.L.K., (2018) Getting to great, for all. Conference Proceedings: Future of Education (8th Ed.). Florence, Italy: Liberia Universitaria.
Selected Presentations
A Letter to Future Teacher Educators (September 26, 2019). How young leaders can shape their profession, districts, and institutional of higher learning.
Ratings & Rankings: What Could They Mean? (March 18, 2016). How prospective students can use graduate school rankings to help make informed decisions.
What I Want From Our Next President (October 29, 2015). How will the next president make education better?
Role of Schools of Education (April 7, 2015). Discussing how to create a meaningful and useful School of education.
Closing the Gap (April 7, 2015). Identifying strategies to close the achievement gap.
Technology and Education (March 17, 2015). Exploring the impact of technology on education.
Improving America's Schools (December 2, 2014). Examining the differences between education systems in the United States and high-performing countries.
Gap Changing Schools (November 6, 2014). "Gap changing schools" describe those schools that are working systematically to close the gaps in achievement and opportunity for students in those schools.
School to Prison Pipeline (November 4, 2014). The school to prison pipeline is an epidemic that is plaguing schools across the nation as one of our major social and economic problems.
60th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education (May 29, 2014). The impact of the landmark case and what still needs to be accomplished to help close the achievement gap.